Mai Son district in Son La province has paid due attention to solving the shortage of domestic water in difficult areas. With funding from the national target programme for socio-economic development in ethnic-inhabited and mountainous areas, many projects have been implemented and put into use, helping ethnic minorities improve their quality of life.

The Co Ma upland market fair is an annual event held on the occasion of National Day (September 2), where Mong, Thai, Kho Mu and Ha La ethnic people from Muong Bam, Long He, E Tong, Pa Long, Co Tong and Co Ma communes gather to meet, exchange and celebrate the Independence Day.

In recent years, Son La province has implemented many solutions to improve the effectiveness of environmental protection, with priority given to prevention, response, and control of pollution risks, ensuring sustainable socio-economic development.

Located near the core area of Ta Xua special-use forest, Hang Dong commune has more than 5,500 hectares of forest. In recent years, the locality has actively coordinated with Bac Yen district’s forest rangers to synchronously deploy forest management and protection solutions.

More than 300,000 students from the first to 12th grades across Son La province returned to school on August 28 for the 2023-2024 academic year.

The provincial Health Department, in coordination with Save the Children International (SCI) in Vietnam, on August 22-24 organized a training course on the management of a project to improve the livelihoods of ethnic minorities in Son La province.

In the 2023-2024 school year, Son La province will maintain the provision of semi-boarding meals at 225 schools, with over 126,000 students.

Son La province’s Department of Education and Training and Vinh University of Nghe An province on August 19 signed a cooperation agreement on human resources training and development for the 2023-2025 period.

As many as 40,606 people in Son La province are enjoying social assistance policies.

Telecoms businesses and units in Son La province have accelerated the development of telecoms infrastructure to cover the remaining hamlets by mobile broadband.

The Department of Public Security of Son La province on August 15 launched an operation to control passenger cars and container trucks following Plan No.382 dated July 24, 2023 of the Ministry of Public Security.

The Department of Industry and Trade of Son La province, the People’s Committee of Phu Yen district and Risen Vietnam Co., Ltd on August 10 organised a ceremony to inaugurate and hand over a pilot solar power and wind turbine model in Suoi Cu hamlet, Huy Tan commune, Phu Yen district.

Since 2022, Thuan Chau district has spent more than 7.2 billion VND (303,030 USD) on building and upgrading 11 infrastructure facilities in La Ha ethnic minority-inhabited hamlets.

The war has passed for nearly half a century, but the pain of Agent Orange (AO) still lingers in the daily lives of more than 1,000 people in Son La province. Over the past years, together with authorities at all levels and agencies, the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin’s chapter in Son La province (VAVA Son La) has always cared for the material and spiritual life of the victims.

Prioritizing resources for investment in school infrastructure, Son La city is implementing many projects to renovate, repair and upgrade facilities in local school with a total investment of 133.8 billion VND (5.64 million USD).

Since the beginning of this year, agencies, units and localities throughout Son La province have implemented solutions to raise the rate of dossiers handled online. The provincial Public Service Portal has connected and shared data with the National Public Service Portal; and been synchronised at all three levels from the provincial to district and communal levels to serve the work of searching, looking up and verifying information, and digitising and reusing records for handling administrative procedures.

The 2023 Vietnam Artificial Intelligence Day (AI4VN), a leading science and technology event in Vietnam, will take place in Ho Chi Minh City on September 21-22.

After the 10-year implementation of the national target programme on energy efficiency, Son La province has recorded significant achievements in environmental protection and rational exploitation of energy resources, contributing to spurring local socio-economic development.

Vietnam recorded 3,399 new COVID-19 cases on May 5, the highest daily number over the past six months, according to the Ministry of Health.

The Vietnam Software and Information Technology Services Association (VINASA) on April 28 held a ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of Sao Khue Awards and announce 182 award winners this year.